The Philippines inaugurated the first phase of its 3.5GW-peak (GWp) MTerra solar project today, with full commercial operations of the first phase expected to start in August this year.
The project's first phase is about 91pc complete, and the second phase is set to be completed by 2027, Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos announced at the inauguration ceremony on 14 July. The development will cut about 4.3mn t/yr of carbon emissions once fully operational, Marcos said.
The first phase of the project will have a capacity totalling 2.5GWp and a battery energy storage system (BESS) of 3.3GWh. Meanwhile, the project's second phase is set to have a total capacity of 1GWp and 1.2GWh.
The development comes at a time when the need to improve the country's energy sector has never been more apparent or more urgent, Marcos said, adding that the Philippines has relied on conventional sources of power, with such an energy mix leaving it more vulnerable to volatile fuel prices.
The project will support the country's efforts to increase the share of renewables in its generation mix and support power system stability, Marcos said. The Philippines aims to raise its renewable energy share to 35pc by 2030 and 50pc by 2040, its department of energy said in June.
The Philippine government has raised the country's total installed capacity of energy storage systems to 845MW as of May this year from 93MW in July 2022 as part of these efforts, Marcos said.
The Philippines' energy generation totalled 117.9TWh in 2025, data from independent electricity market operator IEMOP show, with coal making up the largest share of power generation at 56pc. Solar generation came in at 4.81TWh in 2025, up from 3.7TWh in 2024. Hydro output rose to 11.9TWh in 2025, from 9.53TWh in 2024.
Philippine power company Meralco PowerGen successfully exported 250MW of power from the MTerra solar farm to the grid, it said in March. The project contributes to the Philippines' Renewable Portfolio Standards programme, which requires power companies to procure renewable energy certificates from local generating assets.
